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janie-30
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Trolls (2016)
Justin Timberlake So Drastically Overshadows Anna Kendrick That You Can't Help Disliking Her Character
Anna Kendrick's character is an obnoxiously giddy, shallow, empty-headed princess whom I grew to dislike so intensely that, even when she redeemed herself at the VERY END of the movie, I couldn't start liking her. Justin Timberlake's character, whose backstory amazingly requires that he not sing, is the only troll character with a personality and I loved him instantly. Timberlake's character's one featured song (True Colors) was a decidedly one-sided duet with Anna, who was more of a back-up singer than a partner, only singing on her own when the script called for her character to "speak" the words in the lyrics to Timberlake's character. Timberlake carries it well though, and the True Colors scene is one of those I find myself replaying on it's own just to listen to him sing it again.
Reducing my rating by 5 stars is mostly due to my disappointment in the characters. But overall, this is (as others have said) a brightly colored pop jukebox musical that *mostly* leaves you feeling good (though at the end of the movie, I was still disappointed that Anna Kendrick's character wasn't swallowed up by one of the big fuzzy bugs).
I don't watch entertainment movies, especially animated movies that target children, from an intellectual perspective. What's the point of being entertained if you're not willing or able to suspend disbelief AND intellect!? So I don't criticize jukebox musicals the way that some snobbish-sounding reviews do. If they contain songs I love that make my foot move involuntarily to the beat, I'm happy. So most of the credit for the 5 stars I did give goes to the movie's ability to do just that. It has great songs that make you feel good. This is definitely the kind of movie you can put on when you need a little boost in your mood.
Quackerz (2016)
Everything About This Movie Is Awful
There are very few movies I would walk out on after paying to see them, but this film was PAINFULLY stupid. It was so horrible I didn't even ask for my money back, as I didn't trust myself to not berate the poor theater employee when it wasn't his fault he sold me a ticket to a movie that simply should not have been made. Nonetheless, t couldn't endure more than 20 minutes of it before having to leave or risk a splitting headache. It's not just a matter of individual comedy style preferences - although I'm not a fan of "dumb and dumber" type comedy, this movie isn't stupid in that way (I would have watched it through to the end if it had been). It's just simply stupid in every way: Plot (nonexistent), dialogue, music, characters, gaudy poorly done violence in places where violence doesn't even make any sense, much less contribute to the story. I don't know how to say it better than simply: "Everything about this movie is awful."
The Nativity Story (2006)
Historically accurate (according to the Bible), touching account of this miracle event.
This story imbues the miracle of the birth of Jesus with a real-life perspective, showing the everyday lives of those involved, and taking the viewer step-by-step in a way that gives a sense of reality to this supernatural event. The movie combines the ordinary with the extraordinary, causing the details to come alive so much better than just words in a book, especially for those of us who are visually-oriented (ie, spoiled to video). Very little literary privilege is taken - the script follows the Bible's various accounts, and then it uses historic knowledge of the time and place to flesh out the details so we can all feel that we are there sharing in the journey. Casting is brilliant! Keisha Castle-Hughes portrays with real authority a naive but courageous and resolute teenage Mary, and Oscar Isaac displays the gentleness, kindness, and obedience to God which make Joseph worthy of the role as Mary's husband, and the man chosen to raise God's Son to His adult role as Savior. The movie makes us wonder about the little things that may never have been contemplated before: Did Mary experience labor pain? What were Jesus' first years like? How did Mary and Joseph parent Jesus when he was an infant, toddler, growing boy? (I sure hope there is going to be a sequel :-) Great movie - will definitely want to own the DVD when it comes out!